Mercy (The Guardians Series 1)

by Wendy Saunders

  As the tremors subsided Theo stood, pulling Olivia to her feet and checking to make sure she wasn’t injured.

  ‘Are you alright?’ he asked in concern.

  ‘I’m fine,’ she dusted the leaves and dirt from her jeans.

  ‘Olivia,’ Theo asked seriously, ‘what happened? How did you do that?

  She glanced around in confusion, her brow falling into a frown. Had she just been speaking to someone? She had the vague feeling someone had been standing behind her. But as she looked at Theo the feeling began to dissipate, like the remnants of a fading dream.

  ‘I don’t know,’ she looked down at her hands, turning them over as if they were different somehow.

  A blue spark formed in her palm; it swirled and churned, pulsing and growing in size until it writhed and beat in her hand like a heart. It felt different from the red and gold fire she usually conjured. That fire was as familiar to her as the sky and earth. It was of this world, Earth fire but the seething mass of blue and black flames which crackled in her hand was something else entirely. It came from someplace else, someplace darker. It was born of magic and it held so much power. Whenever she held it she could feel the eternal vastness of thousands upon thousands of years.

  ‘What is it?’ Theo asked quietly.

  When her eyes met his, he could have sworn he saw a gateway to an infinite number of worlds.

  ‘It is Hell fire,’ she whispered.

  Chapter 19.

  Olivia stood gazing out of the bedroom window, hearing Theo snoring softly in the bed behind her as she looked down at her fingertips. A tiny little pulse of blue appeared beneath her skin like a spark of electricity, before disappearing again. She could feel the low thrum of power beneath her skin and it was like she was wired into the mains. Maybe that was why she couldn’t sleep. She was different now, she’d known the minute she’d pulled a bow of pure fire out of thin air, and it was like her body was struggling to adapt.

  Releasing a quiet breath she turned her gaze back out to the woods now illuminated under the bright half moon. The sky was clear tonight and the stars burned like tiny pinpricks in the vast darkness, but it was the woods that held her attention. She knew now what it was that called to her. It was the demon; even now he stirred in his prison and soon he would wake. After the first snowfall if Theo’s dream was correct.

  She shivered and jolted in surprise as she felt Theo’s arms fold around her and pull her against his warm chest, resting his chin on her shoulder.

  ‘Why aren’t you in bed, its freezing in here,’ his voice was rough and sleepy.

  Breathing in the familiar scent of him she felt her body relax. Glancing over at the small fireplace in her bedroom she noticed it had burned down to embers. Reaching out she gave it a little nudge and it once again burst into flame. She could feel Theo smile against her shoulder.

  ‘So why aren’t you in bed?’ he asked again.

  ‘Couldn’t sleep,’ she murmured, ‘I feel like I’ve drunk fifty espresso’s’

  ‘What’s an espresso?’

  ‘Never mind,’ a small smile played at her lips. ‘I guess I’m a little wired, ever since I conjured Hell fire it’s like it supercharged my body. I’m feeling full of restless energy.’

  ‘It's more than that though, isn’t it?’

  Olivia sighed and her gaze was drawn back to the woods once more.

  ‘I just feel like I’m missing something important. I have all these jigsaw pieces in front of me, the murders, the killer, my father, the pale haired man, Hester, the demon, you…’ she shook her head. ‘I just can’t make them all fit together; I can’t see the big picture.’

  He turned her in his arms, tilting her face up to his.

  ‘We will find the answers,’ Theo replied. ‘I too have found myself frustrated by recent events. I have given much thought to the purpose of the demon seal.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘I wonder why it is branded into the bodies of the victims? What is the significance?’ He mused thoughtfully, ‘I have seen the devil’s trap open and Nathaniel escape his imprisonment and I know the last victim was there with his heart cut out so I can only conclude that the victims are some sort of sacrifice… some means of raising the demon.’

  Olivia thought over his assumptions carefully.

  ‘You’re probably right,’ she concluded, ‘I don’t know anything about raising rituals except that, like most spells, there are many variations. Each spell is almost tailor made to the person or situation. In order to understand how the killer plans to raise Nathaniel we have to understand how Hester trapped him in the first place.’

  ‘I’m not sure I understand.’

  ‘Every witch keeps a record of her magic, every spell she has every written or performed. This record is known as a Grimoire or sometimes a book of shadows.’

  ‘So we need to find Hester’s Grimoire?’

  ‘That’s easier said than done,’ Olivia shook her head. ‘I have been through every single one of Hester's journals, she talks about her magic but there is no mention of Nathaniel or of her Grimoire. I’ve been slowly searching the house but I haven’t yet come across it. She would’ve hidden it, but after three hundred years it is probably lost.’

  ‘Back in my time,’ Theo answered slowly, ‘when a person died they were buried with their most prized possession. My father was buried with his bible, could Hester not have been buried with her Grimoire?’

  ‘It’s certainly possible,’ Olivia conceded, ‘but the thing is, she wasn’t buried on consecrated ground in a marked grave. As a witch she would have been placed directly in the earth so that her body could become part of the wheel of life again while her soul passed on to the summer lands.’

  ‘The summer lands?’ Theo asked curiously.

  ‘It's like heaven, where we meet our loved ones and pass on to the next life.’

  ‘I see.’

  ‘Anyway I remember my Nana telling me once that Hester was buried in the woods and a tree was planted over her bones. I just have no idea where in the woods and it stretches for miles around the lake, she could be anywhere and even if we did find it we can’t exactly rip out a three hundred year old tree to get to her grave.’

  ‘True,’ Theo frowned pulling her closer, ‘perhaps a solution will present itself but one thing is for certain we are not going to discover all the answers tonight.

  ‘I suppose,’ she answered quietly as her eyes locked on his.

  Unable to help himself he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her softly. Unlike before when the fire burned hot and bright, consuming them both, this time it banked warm and content and when he took her under, his kiss was soft and sweet and full of promises that she wasn’t ready to hear.

  Suddenly he broke away and turned his head.

  ‘Did you hear that?’

  ‘Hear what?’ Olivia asked in confusion but even as the words left her mouth she heard the sound too.

  It was a scratching sound followed by a whimper. Pulling on his jeans and sweater he disappeared from the room. Olivia grabbed her robe from the nearby chair and wrapped it around her body as she turned to follow him. Padding down the stairs she could see him at the door looking through the peephole. After a moment he unlocked the door and stepped out onto the porch.

  She followed him out into the bitter night air and scanned the nearby darkness but when the sound came again directly behind her, Olivia spun around in surprise. There was a small cardboard box tucked against the side of the house. There was another small whimper and the box shook.

  ‘Olivia don’t!’ Theo warned as she dropped down next to the box.

  ‘It’s okay Theo,’ she replied absently her gaze firmly fixed on the box.

  Reaching out slowly she folded back the open flaps and peered in. A small bundle of fur lay curled up and shivering on a blanket. Picking up the box carefully she stepped back into the house and headed into the library. Theo cast one more wary look around
outside the house and followed her back in, making sure to lock the door and shoot the deadbolt.

  Olivia dropped down in front of the fire and with one glance the fire flared up, bathing her with light and warmth. Reaching back into the box a head popped up and a pair of dark eyes blinked at her. Scooping up the little ball of golden fur her face broke into a smile. The puppy shivered as she held him close to her chest to give him some of her body heat.

  ‘Poor thing,’ she murmured, ‘he’s freezing.’

  Theo dropped down onto the couch close to her and frowned.

  ‘Why would someone leave a pup on your porch in the middle of the night?’

  But Olivia had a fairly good idea who would do this and why. She’d known the minute she’d lifted the puppy from the box and got a good look at him. He looked exactly like her dog Truman. As he began to warm up he wriggled in her arms and stretched up to lick her face. Stroking his head and his long soft ears sent the puppy into paroxysm's of delight. He rolled in her arms, treading all over her with soft paws.

  ‘I wonder what breed he is?’ Theo murmured, leaning over to stroke the puppy’s head.

  ‘He’s a Cocker Spaniel,’ Olivia replied.

  Noticing the red collar he wore she twisted it round to get a good look at the tag handing from it.

  ‘TRUMAN’

  Her eyes filled with tears and she tried to swallow past the hot hard ball of emotion caught in her throat.

  ‘Olivia what is it?’

  She unbuckled the small leather collar and handed it to Theo who turned it over in his hands and read the name tag.

  ‘Truman?’ he asked in confusion.

  ‘Truman was my dog was I was a kid, my dad brought him home for me not long after my seventh birthday. We were inseparable; he was always with me, Jake and Louisa. The night my mom died, Truman was curled up on my bed when I heard the shouting downstairs; he followed me when I got up. It’s a bit hazy but I remember the house being on fire and Truman jumping up at me barking. I picked him up and wouldn’t let him go. When my dad scooped me up and dumped me in the car I was still holding onto him, but when the cops finally caught up with us and my dad was arrested I was put into foster care and Truman was taken away from me and re-homed. I never saw him again.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Theo said softly.

  ‘I tried to find him,’ she shrugged, ‘when I was old enough, I knew it was a long shot. By this point ten years had passed but I managed to find the family who’d taken him in. He’d died an old dog, happy and contented. They were a good family and it was obvious by the pictures he’d been well loved, so I have to be grateful for that.’

  ‘That still doesn’t explain why there is a puppy on your porch.’

  ‘My father,’ she sighed, ‘this isn’t the first time he’s left me a little reminder of my childhood.’

  ‘What?’ Theo’s voice was flat and his expression hardened.

  She climbed to her feet still holding onto the puppy and headed over to the desk. Pulling open the top drawer she retrieved the doll and handed it to Theo.

  ‘This was mine,’ she told him quietly, ‘I was holding this the night of the fire, and those blood stains are my mother’s blood. He left this on the porch for me a while ago.’

  ‘And you are only just mentioning this now?’ his voice rippled in anger.

  ‘I wasn’t ready to talk about it.’

  ‘That’s not the point Olivia and you know it. That bastard has been at your house and you said nothing.’

  ‘I’m not certain he has,’ she shook her head.

  ‘What?’

  ‘He can’t cross the protection lines if he intends me harm; I don’t know how he’s doing it,’ she answered, ‘besides he hasn’t actually hurt me.’

  ‘Don’t fool yourself Olivia,’ Theo held up the doll, ‘you can’t tell me this doesn’t hurt you.’

  ‘That’s not what I meant.’ She frowned, ‘I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of breaking me, no matter how many cruel gifts he sends me.’

  ‘Jesus Liv,’ he breathed heavily as his eyes fell on the dog curled contentedly in her arms, ‘what are you going to do about the puppy?’

  He needn’t have bothered asking, seeing the expression on her face as she gazed down at the sleeping ball of fur in her arms. Anyone with eyes could tell it was love at first sight.

  ‘I’m keeping him,’ she murmured, ‘it's not his fault my father’s a sadistic asshole.’

  Dropping the doll back into the drawer he turned back to Olivia, ‘let's go back to bed, it’s late and you should really try to sleep.’

  Nodding absently and cradling the pup like a child she headed back up the stairs while the fire banked behind them.

  When the first pale rays of dawn began to filter through the crack in the curtains Olivia woke to two paws pressing on her chest and her face being bathed by a wet tongue.

  ‘Urgh,’ she pushed the puppy down but he simple rolled over happily and begun to chew on the bedding.

  ‘No!’

  She scooped the pup up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

  ‘Oh for God’s sake,’ she sighed as her bare feet landed in a puddle; glancing across her bedroom floor she noticed several more puddles on the hardwood floor.

  The puppy wriggled out of her grasp, jumping back onto the bed and trotting over to lick Theo’s ear.

  ‘Jesus,’ he sat up and wiped his ear.

  ‘Does he have to share a bed with us?’ He asked grumpily.

  ‘He’s only a puppy he needs reassurance and a lot of attention right now.’ She stood up surveying the carnage of her room, not only had he been marking his territory but he seemed to have amused himself while they slept, by chewing his way through one of her favorite sneakers.

  ‘You can take him outside and let him run for a bit.’

  ‘Why do I have to?’ Theo frowned.

  ‘Do you want to clean this up?’

  He leaned over the bed and peered at the wet floor.

  ‘Ah, why don’t I take him outside for a bit?’

  ‘I thought you might say that,’ she murmured as she hobbled to the bathroom.

  By the time Theo wandered back into the kitchen holding the squirming fur ball who was busy trying to chew his fingers, Olivia had cleaned both herself and the bedroom and was now dressed and making him a coffee.

  ‘He’ll be hungry by now,’ she laid a bowl of water on the floor for the puppy; ‘I don’t have anything in that is suitable for him to eat so I’ll have to run to the store and get some supplies.’

  Theo nodded as he placed the pup on the floor, watching in amusement as he ambled over to the bowl and stuck his face clumsily in the water sloshing it over the floor.

  ‘I’ll go take a shower and get dressed.’

  ‘You don’t need to come too,’ Olivia handed him a steaming mug of coffee. ‘I won’t be long, why don’t you stay and paint. You didn’t really get a chance to yesterday.’

  ‘I can paint anytime,’ he took a sip, ‘besides you’re not going out on your own until we’ve figured out what’s going on.’

  ‘Really you’re being ridiculous,’ she muttered sourly, ‘I don’t need a babysitter. Erica messaged me, the Mayor is dealing with the Chief and my father while he may or may not be a psycho hasn’t actually harmed me.’

  ‘But’ Theo replied, ‘you forgot the murderer on the loose who seems to like cutting people up.’

  ‘Young men,’ she folded her arms, ‘as I already told Jake I’m not his type.’

  ‘Regardless,’ he answered stubbornly, ‘I could do with some fresh air anyway.’

  ‘Between you and Jake I’m starting to feel suffocated.’

  ‘I can’t help that Olivia we’re not going to change,’ Theo told her bluntly. ‘Now I am going to shower and if you try to sneak out without me I will track you down even if I have to walk into town from here.’

  ‘Fine,’ she sighed,
‘hurry up before the puppy starts chewing through anything else.’

  He disappeared back up the stairs and Olivia stubbornly contemplated for a moment just grabbing her keys and going anyway. But the truth was it wasn’t actually such a hardship having Theo with her she enjoyed his company and he really needed to practice getting used to using modern day currency. Figuring now was as good a time as any she decided she’d take him by the bank and teach him how to use the ATM. After all Sam had given him a start up fund and a bank account, he might as well learn how to use it. Afterwards maybe they could stop by the coffee shop and he could try his first espresso. Although, she thought to herself in amusement, given his love of coffee it probably wasn’t a good idea to introduce him to coffee in shot form; he was already half way to being a caffeine junkie.

  Wandering into the library with the puppy trailing along behind her enthusiastically, she stopped when she noticed the red leather collar on the sofa from the night before. Picking it up and grasping it tightly in her hand she looked down at the dog. He couldn’t keep the name; even if he did look exactly the same as her beloved Truman, he needed his own identity. Dropping the collar in the trash basket she dropped down onto the couch and let the puppy jump up into her lap.

  ‘What should we call you, huh?’ she stroked him gently and he simply collapsed onto her lap and rolled over.

  Laughing lightly she rubbed his belly, running through different names in her mind.

  ‘How about Beau?’

  He rolled over and sat up abruptly licking her face.

  ‘You like that one huh?’

  He let loose a little bark and licked her again.

  ‘Well Beau it is,’ she smiled stroking his beautiful soft ears, ‘you want to go for a ride in the car?’

  He let out another bark and Olivia laughed.

  Pulling her boots on over her thick socks she laughed as Beau pulled and tugged at the laces.

  ‘No little man,’ she lifted him up, ‘those aren’t for you, we’ll get you your own toys.’